Fresh produce returns to the food pantry

This Saturday (October 24), fresh produce will return to the South Loop Community Church Food Pantry, 1347 S. State Street. Starting this month, the food pantry will be offering fresh produce, along with their regular food distribution, on the fourth Saturday of each month.

The food pantry is open every Saturday 9 – 11 a.m. serving those in need in Cook County. Clients can come to the food pantry every week if they need to.

Client BBQ this Saturday September 27, 2014

The South Loop Community Church Food Pantry, 1347 S. State St., will host a BBQ for food pantry clients, Saturday September 27 from 12 to 2 p.m. There is not cost to attend.

The menu will consist of beef and turkey hot dogs, chips, cake, lemonade and iced tea.

The food pantry will be open for its normal food distribution (9 to 11 a.m.) on the 27th.

We will be open Saturday, August 30, 2014

We will have normal food distribution on August 30.

The South Loop Community Church Food Pantry, 1347 S. State St. will be open Saturday, August 30, 2014 (Labor Day Weekend) for regular food distribution. Distribution hours are 9 - 11 a.m.

The food pantry operates every Saturday. Fresh produce is available the first, second, and third Saturdays of every month. Clothes are available the second and third Saturdays of the month during food distribution. If you have any questions regarding our hours of operation or would like to volunteer, please e-mail us at southloopcommunitychurch@gmail.com, or call the church at 312.566.9076.

South Loop Pantry volunteer opportunities meeting August 20, 2014

South Loop Community Church Food Pantry, 1347 S. State St., is looking for volunteers to help with their food pantry and clothes closet ministries. The church will be holding a brief introduction meeting on volunteer opportunities, Wednesday August 20, 2014 at 7:15 p.m.

The food pantry serves between 85 and 100 walk-ins every week.

In operation for over two years, the food pantry serves between 85 and 100 walk-ins every week. If you’re looking for a way to serve or give back to your community, volunteering at the food pantry might be for you. The food pantry needs volunteers on Saturday mornings, when food distribution takes place, as well as during the week to help with accepting food deliveries and restocking shelves.

The food pantry offers free produce three times a month.

Food distribution is every Saturday, 9-11 a.m. Three times a month, the pantry also offers fresh produce. The clothes closet distributes clothes and accessories for men, women, and children twice a month. The clothes closet operates the second and third Saturdays of every month during the food distribution. After food pantry clients get their food, they can look at clothing.

Click here to download this flyer.

The food pantry has partnered with local businesses, like Overflow Coffee Bar, Marianos, Pret A Manger, and Urban Re-Mix, and community organizations like Greater South Loop Association (GSLA). The GSLA contributed $1000 to the help the pantry buy turkeys last year for Thanksgiving baskets.

For more information, visit the church’s Web site or contact them via e-mail at southloopcommunitychurch@gmail.com or call the church office at 312.566.9076.

For a look at how the food pantry operates, check out this post from local South Loop blogger Bonnie McGrath.

If you would like to promote this volunteer event in your building or office, click here to download flyer.


Full disclosure: The writer of this blog is a regular volunteer at the South Loop Community Church Food Pantry. It’s been a rewarding experience serving folks in need from our neighborhood.

South Loop Food Pantry looks for volunteers

To download a flyer, click here.

South Loop Community Church Food Pantry, 1347 S. State St., is looking for volunteers to help with their food pantry and clothes closet ministries. The church will be holding a brief introduction meeting on volunteer opportunities, Wednesday July 16, 2014 at 7:15 p.m.

In operation for over two years, the food pantry serves between 85 and 100 walk-ins every week. If you’re looking for a way to serve or give back to your community, volunteering at the food pantry might be for you. The food pantry needs volunteers on Saturday mornings, when food distribution takes place, as well as during the week to help with accepting food deliveries and restocking shelves.

Food distribution is every Saturday, 9-11 a.m. Three times a month, the pantry also offers fresh produce.
The clothes closet distributes clothes and accessories for men, women, and children twice a month. The clothes closet operates the second and third Saturdays of every month during the food distribution. After food pantry clients get their food, they can look at clothing.

The food pantry has partnered with local businesses, like Overflow Coffee Bar, Marianos, Pret A Manger, and Urban Remix, and community organizations like Greater South Loop Association (GSLA). The GSLA contributed $1000 to the help the pantry buy turkeys last year for Thanksgiving baskets.

For more information, visit the church’s Web site or contact them via e-mail at southloopcommunitychurch@gmail.com or call the church office at 312.566.9076.

For a look at how the food pantry operates, check out this post from local South Loop blogger Bonnie McGrath.

Produce this Saturday, April 5, 2014

Food Pantry Hours: Every Saturday 9 - 11 a.m.
The first three Saturdays of the month, the SLCC food pantry offers fresh produce. April 5 is the first Saturday of the month. We never know what kind of produce we’ll be offering until the morning it is delivered. In the past, we’ve had apples, oranges, lettuce, onions, potatoes, pears, cucumbers, carrots, and more. Clients are welcome to take as much produce as they can carry. We have produce bags, but clients should feel free to bring their own grocery bags, if they have them.

All clients will receive a bag of nonperishable food items

Along with the fresh produce, clients will also receive a bag of nonperishable food items. And while they last, sandwiches and salads courtesy of Pret A Manger.

Salads and sandwiches, while they last, from Pret A Manger

Food, Clothes, and Produce this Saturday

Volunteers help prepare grocery bags
for distribution.

On Saturday, March 15, 2014, the SLCC Food Pantry will be distributing food and produce. We will also be distributing clothes and accessories for men, women, and children via the Clothes Ministry. Clothes are distributed the 2nd and 3rd Saturday of each month.

Produce is distributed on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Saturdays of every month. We never know exactly what type of produce we will have in advance, but we get is fresh and nutritious. We generally get a mix of fruits and vegetables, including carrots, apples, onions, pears, lettuce, and oranges. Clients can help themselves to as much produce as they can carry. Any produce left over is picked up by Pacific Garden Mission.

Non-perishable food items are pre-packed in grocery bags. Clients pick up a bag and are then given the protein available that particular week. We often have sausage, beef patties, and deli meat for distribution. Most clients will also receive day-old bread products from Mariano’s supermarket. Many will receive fresh sandwiches or salads from Pret-A-Manger as well.

Leftover produce is donated to Pacific Garden Mission.

We have a limited supply of toiletry items for clients with special needs or requests.

If you have any questions regarding the food pantry or would like to volunteer, please call 312.566.9076 or e-mail the church at southloopcommunitychurch@gmail.com

SLCC Food Pantry is a member agent of the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

Happy New Year from the SLCC Food Pantry!

We’re looking forward to serving the South Loop and Chicago communities in 2014. We’re very grateful for all the volunteers through the year, as well as the businesses and organizations that have assisted us.

This Saturday, January 4, 2014, we’ll be distributing food and fresh produce from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Christmas Toy Store

Volunteers get gifts ready for the toy store.

This year we had a Christmas Toy Store for two weeks during the operation of the food pantry. We had new toys for girls and boys for modest prices, many well below their original cost. The prices for toys ranged from a low of $1 to a high of $5; no toy was priced higher. Customers were able to buy up to five gifts during one visit to the toy store. We also had gift-wrapping available for those who requested it. We were delighted to have people from the neighborhood volunteer to help at the toy store, including several members of the Greater South Loop Association board. The GSLA helped us provide turkeys and fixings for our Thanksgiving food distribution by giving the pantry a generous donation of $1000. We distributed 120 turkeys on November 23, 2013.

Gift wrapping was available at the toy store.

Thank you, neighbors!
Thanks to Overflow Coffee Bar—Overflow has been a partner with the food pantry from the very start. Their have a food donation basket has been a constant source of nonperishable food items throughout the year. They just don’t sell great coffee, they’re great neighbors.

We also want to thank our wonderful volunteers. We have a regular group of volunteers from the surrounding area, including the folks from the Loop Church. Located at the Daystar Center, their members have been very generous with their time and donations of food—they help that food pantry basket at Overflow, well, overflowing! We also want to thank our regular volunteers from South Loop Community Church, the high school and college students, as well as the many folks that help us behind the scenes working with the Greater Chicago Food Depository, placing orders and keeping a check on inventory. A special thank you goes to food pantry coordinator, Rosa Ellis.

Clothes Ministry
We also want to thank those who help with the clothes ministry that operates during food pantry hours on the second and third Saturdays of the month. The clothes ministry offers clothes and accessories, free of charge, for men, women, and children. We want to extend a big thank you to clothes ministry coordinator Daisy Bell for all her hard work.

Daisy Bell and Rosa Ellis pose in front of some of the toys available at
the Christmas Toy Store.

Volunteer opportunities

We’re always in need of volunteers. There are opportunities to help during food distribution and with food deliveries during the month. If you think you’d like to volunteer, please click on the tab that says “Donate & Volunteer” at the top of the page.

Food Pantry will be closed on November 30, 2013

The South Loop Community Church Food Pantry will be closed on Saturday, November 30, 2013. Normal food pantry operation will resume the following Saturday, December 7. The SLCC Food Pantry hours of operation are 9 – 11 a.m. every Saturday (unless otherwise noted). On December 7, we will also be offering fresh produce.

SLCC Food Pantry will be providing fresh produce on December 7, 2013.

Food, Clothes, and More Food!

The South Loop Community Church Food Pantry is now offering clients clothes twice a month during food distribution on Saturdays 9 – 11 a.m. In addition to the regular food distribution, the pantry will be offering fresh produce, fruits and vegetables, three times a month. Fresh produce will be offered on the first, second, and third Saturdays along with our regular food distribution.

Fresh produce will be distributed the first, second, and third Saturdays of the month.

As part of new program with the Greater Chicago Food Depository, the pantry will be distributing fruits and vegetables in the south parking lot of South Loop Community Church. The first distribution took place September 7, 2013. The produce included fresh pineapples, peaches, apples, green peppers, cucumbers, and bananas. There was plenty for everyone; clients were encouraged to take as much as they could carry.

Clothes distribution is on the second and third Saturdays of the month.

This Saturday, September 14, 2013 will be the first of our twice-a-month clothes distribution. We have clothes and accessories for men, women, and children.

We offer accessories for men, women, and children.

Buddy, can you spare a van?

March marks one year since the South Loop Community Church started distributing food to those in need, on a weekly basis. We have been averaging between 55-60 walk-ins every Saturday. We also deliver food to another 30 people every week, who aren’t able to come to the pantry in person, due to physical disabilities.

The SLCC Food Pantry is a member agent of the Greater Chicago Food Depository, which enables us to purchase food at discounted and reduced prices. The GCFD also offers member agents free produce and other food stuffs on occasion. But we’ve had to turn down these free offers because we don’t have enough room in our vehicles. Currently, we pick up our food orders (twice a month) with volunteers’ cars. If we had the use of a van for these twice-a-month pick-ups, we could offer those in need more nourishing food every week.

The SLCC Food Pantry serves up to 100 people  each week.
Help us keep these shelves stocked.

Not everyone can physically volunteer in the food pantry—even though we distribute food once-a-week, it’s a five-day-a-week job—but perhaps you are willing and able to volunteer yourself and your van twice a month.

If you think you could help us out or would like more information about the SLCC Food Pantry and other volunteer opportunities, please call the South Loop Community Church office at 312.566.9076 during weekday business hours.

New Year, new challenges, new thanks

Student volunteers interact with food pantry clients

With January winding down, the SLCC Food Pantry is thankful for how far we’ve come in a relatively short time. This March will mark the pantry’s first-year anniversary. The pantry serves those in need, in the South Loop with nourishing food, every Saturday, 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. When we took on the challenge of serving the community on a weekly basis, we weren’t sure how we were going to do it. We had a limited budget and few volunteers.

Sandwiches and salads donated by Pret A Manger

We took a leap of faith. We survived that first week, and the next, and the next. More people started to volunteer. People and organizations started donating food and money. Students from area high schools and colleges started asking if they could volunteer. Businesses like Pret A Manger, Panera Bread, and Dunkin’ Donuts provided us with day-old food items. Local community organization, Greater South Loop Association provided us with funds to purchase turkeys and hams for distribution during the holidays. Local business, Overflow Coffee Bar donated a percentage of their sales to the pantry. Overflow’s biggest contribution, however, was acting as a food drop-off locations. Patrons of Overflow have donated pounds of food almost ever week for months, which has been an enormous help and encouragement. We even had a visit from local food truck entrepreneur, GiGi’s Bake Shop!

Bags of food and volunteers at the ready

As we get closer to our anniversary date, we’re looking to expand our outreach by offering clothing (a need for some of our clients) along with food. More about this in the future.

The South Loop Community Church Food Pantry wants to give a big “thank you” to our friends and neighbors for helping us along the way!

To find out how you can help, please click on the “Donation and Volunteer Opportunities” tab above.

2012 Hunger Walk

The Greater Chicago Food Depository 27th Annual Hunger Walk is June 23 at Soldier Field. Registration is 7 a.m. Step-off at 8:30 a.m. The walk is the major fund raising event for the Depository. Member food pantries and soup kitchens will be participating in the walk and South Loop Community Church Food Pantry will be at part of this exciting event.

“Do It For Chicago”
The Hunger Walk is an annual 5K (3.1 miles) event to raise funds and awareness for the Food Depository’s work in Cook County and network of 650 agencies (food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters). The Food Depository covers the overhead expenses for the event so all funds raised can be divided among the agencies to help supplement their budgets or, in some cases, serve as their entire annual budget. This is the largest one-day anti-hunger event in Chicago that brings together all of Cook County.

Please join our team!
Feel free to make a donation to our team by clicking our Hunger Walk Team page, or consider making one to the event as a whole. Either way, we hope we can count on your support. The SLCC Food Pantry, and the Food Depository and its network, truly appreciate your support.